Michael Tocqueville Individualism

According to Tocqueville, the American social condition is eminently democratic, ultimately paving the way for the United States to become a society of equality. He interprets the topic of equality to be a negative element of democracy, as it has the tendency to deter individuals, who in a more aristocratic society, would become outstanding individuals, from reaching their highest potential. Although saddened by this fact, Tocqueville quickly notes that this is unfortunately inevitable. He introduces a new concept that arises from times of equality, individualism. Tocqueville defines individualism as, “a reflective and quiet sentiment that inclines each individual to distance himself from a crowd of peers and to draw apart with his own family and friends; in this way, he builds his own private world, willingly leaving the larger world to itself.” He warns of the dangers associated with individualism and how individualism can eventually merge into what he refers to as egoism. The autobiographies included in First Person Past emphasize the results of these individualistic motives through the lives of

Alexis de Tocqueville's visit to the United States in the early part of the nineteenth century prompted his work Democracy in America, in which he expressed the ability to make democracy work. Throughout his travels Tocqueville noted that private interest and personal gain motivated the actions of most Americans, which in turn cultivated a strong sense of individualism. Tocqueville believed that this individualism would soon "sap the virtue of public life" (395) and create a despotism of selfishness. This growth of despotism would be created by citizens becoming too individualistic, and therefore not bothering to fulfill their civic duties or exercise their freedom. Tocqueville feared that the political order of America would soon become

Alexis de Tocqueville was a French aristocrat and adventurer who spent nine months traveling America during 1831. He wrote a book “Democracy in America” about his adventure and experiences in America. He was a well educated European who spoke to many important figures of the time and this helped to develop very good insight about current American culture. Some of his adventures include steamboat, visited the Eastern cities, stayed in a log cabin, and even explored the northwestern frontier. He wrote this book for the French audience, and was hoping to better explain what democracy was so it could help France transition into a democracy. He believed that Democracy was the way of the future, and he was a strong supporter of Democracy. His book

In Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville extensively describes the relationships between democracy, women, and the family. Tocqueville contrasts between the relationships of fathers, sons, siblings, husbands, and wives in a democratic and aristocratic society. According to the writer, democratic families have closer bonds and more flexible hierarchical structures than aristocratic families. Specifically, democratic fathers only limit the freedoms of his sons for a short time period and are later seen as wiser, yet equal citizens. Also, democratic siblings are equals and independent, regardless of age and sex. Tocqueville also argues that American wives willingly abandon selfish pleasures and independence to fulfill the state’s needs.

Count Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) was a part of the French government and held many positions as a magistrate and political observer. Most of his observations were done on political observations and writings workings of the United States. After some time, he became a reliable source for historical and contemporary aspects of American culture. In Origin of Anglo-Americans Tocqueville makes an excellent point,

Toqueville suggests that white men have the most power from compared to African Americans and Native Americans, but inferences that when African Americans will start to move away from their slave culture, it will be nightmare for the south. He makes a statement that soon, Native Americans will slowly die out, which is theoretically correct today. Toqueville’s observations and predictions were quite on par because today the population of Native Americans is extremely minimal, and the slave culture does not exist today in the United States, and is pretty much outlawed.

Tocqueville further argues that unlike “aristocracy (that) links everybody, from peasant to king, in one long chain. Democracy breaks the chain and frees each link…men have gained or kept enough wealth and enough understanding to look after their own needs. Such folk owe no man anything and hardly expect anything from anybody” (Tocqueville, 2006, p. 508). The chain that exists in aristocracy no longer exists in democracy for individuals earn their own keep and does not need to rely on others. Thus, with democracy, individuals in capitalist society are independent and equal in social and economic

Democracy in America has been a guiding principle since the foundation of the country. Many over the years have commented on the structure and formation of democracy but more importantly the implementation and daily function within the democratic parameters that have been set. Alexis de Tocqueville was a French political thinker and historian born July 29, 1805. He is most famously known for his work Democracy in America. Democracy in America has been an evolving social and economic reform, and has continually changed since it’s founding.

For J. Hector St. John De Crèvecoeur and Phillis Wheatley the seduction of freedom was strong enough to have a hold over them throughout their lives. They express obtaining or wanting independence through writing about certain myths of American culture and identity. This idea of unfiltered, unbiased liberty saturates images of America. Even before it officially became a gaggle of nations, North America was known as a wide-open space full of possibilities. Crèvecoeur and Wheatley want the opportunity of self-determination, but it comes easier for one and with more complications for the other. Wheatley has the added disadvantage of her race and gender, while Crèvecoeur comes to these lands with all possibilities open and within reach. These outstanding factors affect the way these two write about American identity. Crèvecoeur’s Letters of An American Farmer: What is an American and various poems by Wheatley comment on the experience of being an American and share a critique on oppression, but there is a dichotomy in their specific views of the American Dream and the Self-Made Man due to their different positions in society.

De Tocqueville’s Democracy and Aristocracy Argument on Argument states the differences between an Aristocratic and Democratic way of living. The essay begins with the statement, “Among aristocratic nations, as families remain for centuries in the same condition, often on the same spot, all generations become, as it were, contemporaneous.” Giving the illusion that everyone lives in perfect harmony and is satisfied with their current social status. Everyone is content to work, not to improve his own well being, but to improve the wellbeing of his fellow man. By having the support of others, everyone meets their needs. Tocqueville writes “he will frequently sacrifice his personal gratifications to those who went before and to those who will come after him.” This quote gives the impression that people living in an aristocratic nation are unselfish and always willing to help. By always doing the same thing and always remaining at the same social status, people would always know what is depended on them. According to Tocqueville each social status the depends on the other and that is why Aristocracy remains strong like a chain.

Alexis de Tocqueville was born on July 29, 1805, in Paris, France. He was a historian, political scientist, and a politician, but he is best known as the author of Democracy in America. He began his political career as an apprentice magistrate, a role he was easily able to enter into due to his father’s role in French government. In the role of apprentice magistrate, Tocqueville witnessed the constitutional upheaval between the conservatives and liberals in France. With the inevitable decline of the aristocratic privilege on the horizon, he began to study the English political development. For Tocqueville, the July Revolution of 1830 and the resulting kingship of Louis Philippe of Orleans helped

I was actually aware of Tocqueville before this reading because one of my favorite quotes about America is attributed to him: “America is great because America is good; and if America ever ceases to be good, she will no longer be great.” What makes America “good” is her

Although liberty was explored in the Declaration of Independence and later in the Constitution, French politician and philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville best put into words why liberty is so important to the American people. He explained in his book, Democracy in America, that, “…defending [citizens'] rights against the encroachments of the government saves the common liberties of the country” (Galles). Tocqueville visited America in 1831 simply to study the nation’s prisons and consequently wrote Democracy in America after returning to France, in awe of the success of America’s democratic movement (“Alexis de Tocqueville”). He was

To be sure, Tocqueville understood the families from America who desired material comfort, because he was from the wealth aristocratic French family, and he attributed the inherited wealth and customs from European descent. The fear of losing owned property played a major factor in their maintaining their wealth. Alexis saw the pursuit of material wealth an important to the middle class movement in a democracy, because it opens up opportunities to the lower class as well. Surely Alexis did observe many who were in poverty and earned their wealth, in and those also learn to live in comfort, but the majority of the aristocratic class were old money. He also noted how unhappy those free, educated, and prosperous individuals’ were during his visit

Tocqueville’s Democracy in America arose out of the desire to understand the underlying reasons behind the difference between French and American democracies. While both societies have had moved towards democracy, New England, which Tocqueville defines as America, seems to be much more successful in organising a stable democratic society. As such, Democracy in America was written with the motive of mapping out how American society was